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Chubu-Sangaku NP, Nagano / Toyama
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Each spring, four snow diamonds appear below Goryu’s summit, resembling the Takeda clan crest. They’re often linked to the old name Goryo, but its origin is debated: in 1908, climber Saegusa wrote 五龍 for the spoken name.
On Goryu’s approach, black stones at Jizō-no-Atama are about 250-million-year-old dunite peridotite; near the summit lies 40–60-million-year-old Goryu rhyolite. One ridge crosses roughly 200 million years of geology.
In December 1929, Rikkyo climbers made Goryu’s first midwinter ascent, negotiating a steep icy ridge fueled by thermos cocoa and sugar mochi. The first recorded spring-snow summit had come only 20 months earlier.
On Goryu’s approach, Hakuba Goryu Alpine Botanical Garden doubles as a conservation nursery: it grows rare alpine plants and plants used to feed captive ptarmigan, while supporting endangered-species research.
Geologists estimate the Goryu region has risen about 2,000 meters since major uplift began 600,000–700,000 years ago—an average of 3–4 millimeters each year. Its imposing skyline is a surprisingly recent work in progress.
At Jizo Pond on the approach trail, July brings a charming double scene: clumps of yellow Nikko daylilies bloom while forest green tree-frog tadpoles wriggle in the wetland.
